The restaurants have deals to open at the massive, 6.2-acre Fifth + Broadway development, which is reshaping the entrance to Lower Broadway.

“We’re delighted to be the first downtown home for two of Nashville’s best known locally born restaurants,” said Burgin Dossett of OliverMcMillan Spectrum | Emery LLC, the Fifth + Broadway development team. “We’re quite certain that Hattie B’s wildly popular hot chicken and Slim & Husky’s award-winning pizza will quickly become part of the fabric of the downtown Nashville culinary experience.”

The construction site of the downtown convention center is crowded with construction cranes Nov. 28, 1985, but soon the Center City Commission hopes that the center will act as an "anchor," drawing merchants and shoppers to the area. Billy Easley / The Tennessean, Billy Easley / The Tennessean

The roof is almost completed over the 118,675-square-foot exhibit hall May 15, 1986 that is part of the 175,000-square-foot Nashville Convention Center, which is under construction by the Parent Co. on Fifth Avenue between Broadway and Commerce Street. The center is scheduled to open in January of 1987 and the Stouffer Nashville Hotel, a 31-story hotel/office tower adjacent to it, is target for completion in June 1987 by Rodgers Construction Co. Billy Easley / The Tennessean, Billy Easley / The Tennessean

All that remains of the old Bell Hotel is a pile of wreckage as bulldozers clear the area April 29, 1983 in preparation for construction of Nashville's proposed Convention Center. The Ryman Auditorium looms in the background. Billy Easley / The Tennessean, Billy Easley / The Tennessean

Hattie B’s is known for drawing crowds of tourists and locals alike to enjoy its hot chicken and scratch-made sides, including pimento mac & cheese, baked beans and Southern greens. The restaurant founded by father-and-son team Nick Bishop Sr. and Nick Bishop Jr. will have four Nashville outposts with the Fifth + Broadway expansion, in addition to restaurants in Birmingham, Memphis, Atlanta and Las Vegas.

“Our mission is to offer authentic Nashville hot chicken served with Southern hospitality in a fun, high energy environment, and we think Hattie B's is a great fit for Lower Broadway," said Nick Bishop Jr.

Slim & Husky’s was founded in 2017 on Buchanan Street by three Tennessee State University grads and it quickly became one of Nashville’s favorite pizza joints. Owners Clinton Gray, Derrick Moore and Emanuel Reed are dedicated to giving back to underserved neighborhoods. They have since expanded to Antioch.

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Slim & Husky's will continue its expansion with a new restaurant in downtown Nashville.(Photo: Nancy Vienneau / For The Tennessean)

The restaurant serves pizzas with names like “Nothin But A ‘V’ Thang” for a vegan-friendly special and “The Smokin’ Herb,” for one loaded with spinach and mushrooms.

Hattie B’s will occupy 2,800 square feet at Fifth + Broadway, while Slim & Husky’s will open in a 3,000-square-foot space.

Other previously announced tenants at Fifth + Broadway include the National Museum of African American Music, an H&M retail store, a multi-story food hall from The Food Hall Co. and Shake Shack. The project, set to open in 2020, also includes residential units and an office tower.